subspecies

American  

[suhb-spee-sheez, suhb-spee-] / ˈsʌbˌspi ʃiz, sʌbˈspi- /

noun

1. a subdivision of a species, especially a geographical or ecological subdivision.

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subspecies British  

/ ˈsʌbˌspiːʃiːz, ˌsʌbspɪˈsɪfɪk /

noun

1.  ssp.  biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a species: usually occurs because of isolation within a species

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subspecies Scientific  

/ sŭb′spē′shēz,-sēz /

1. A subdivision of a species of organisms, usually based on geographic distribution. The subspecies name is written in lowercase italics following the species name. For example, Gorilla gorilla gorilla is the western lowland gorilla, and Gorilla gorilla graueri is the eastern lowland gorilla.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subspecific
  adjective
• subspecifically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

noun

• subspecies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of subspecies

First recorded in 1690–1700; sub- + species

Example Sentences

Santa Rosa Island is also home to a lizard species found on three of the Channel Islands, a spotted skunk endemic to two Channel Islands, a unique island fox subspecies and several uncommon birds.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Thousands of years of genetic isolation have made the island pine a distinct subspecies from the trees found in Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, according to the park service.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

They are the smallest tiger subspecies and are native to Sumatra, one of Indonesia's largest islands.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Doubts remain however over a local subspecies of the rodent.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

That is, cattle were domesticated independently in India and western Eurasia, within the last 10,000 years, starting with wild Indian and western Eurasian cattle subspecies that had diverged hundreds of thousands of years earlier.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond